To Be Young Again
by strikerstories
Summary: What if Zane had never gone after Mrs. Chatham?


**An AU Fanfiction of what could have happened in the episode Shipwrecked.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of H2O: Just Add Water.**

 **This is a one-shot.**

* * *

Louise Chatham boarded the Loreli and went to turn on the engine. It sputtered a bit before coming to life.

"Good girl," she cooed softly to her beloved water craft.

She drove out of the harbour as carefully as she could. Her boat just missed hitting Zane Bennetts little craft, but only just. The motor puttered as Louise guided the Loreli out to sea. Louise had a destination in mind: Mako Island.

It was there that she knew she could live in seclusion, to get away from the life that she lived for many years. She had to have some hope, that the Moon Pool could offer a better life for her.

It was an all night ride. When the sun came up, Louise finally reached Mako Island. She packed up what food she had left in her boat, slung her bag over her shoulders, then got off of her boat. She looked up towards the volcano, where the Moon Pool lay hidden underneath.

"Alright, let's see what you can do," Louise spoke to herself, giving herself an encouragement.

She made her journey towards the Moon Pool cave entrance from above. It took her many rests and the entire day until she finally found the entrance. By then, the sun was beginning to set. She sat right by the entrance, giving herself more of a break before carefully sliding down.

"Oh, to be young again. It would have made all of this so much easier," Louise lamented.

She slid down the entrance to the Moon Pool and when she arrived, she felt tears swell and her heart ached. It had been so long...so long. Louise looked around the moon pool as memories flooded her mind. She could see the three of them, together with their tails in the pool. They were laughing and smiling.

"I miss them so much," Louise said to herself.

She sat down at the edge of the pool, dipping her bare feet in to the water. She basked in the magic that filled the cave. Louise looked up at the volcanos top, where she could see the moon overhead. It was the third and final day before the full moon would be gone for good. There it was overhead, ready to make magic happen.

Louise had to hope; hope that the magic would still work for her. It had been fifty years since she gave up her mermaid powers the first time, and she wasn't sure if she could get them back, but it was worth a try.

The moon light flooded the pool and the water began to bubble. Louise stepped on in, right under the moons light. It felt great to be back after all these years. She held on to her hope as she felt the magic overcome her. It seemed to last a lifetime.

Louise closed her eyes and remembered the very first time that she stepped foot in to the pool, with Gracie and Julie. It was such a magical moment.

The moon passed. Louise got out of the pool, her soaked clothes clinging to her body. She laid down, exhausted from her trip and she passed out.

* * *

"Is she okay?"

"What's she doing here?"

"Mrs. Chatham? Mrs. Chatham?"

Louise opened her eyes. She saw Rikki, Cleo and Emma all kneeling beside her. She gasped and sat up, Emma gently outing her hand on the older womans back to give her some support.

"Mrs. Chatham? Are you alright?" Emma asked.

"Wh...what happened?" Louise asked, slightly confused.

"We came from a swim and we just found you here unconscious," Cleo explained.

Louise remembered. She had stepped in to the moon pool on last night during the last cycle of the full moon. She had hoped...but...she was human. Perhaps it didn't work.

"Oh my...I...I tried to see if it would work. How silly of me to think such a thing," Louise spoke with disappointment.

"What would work? Why are you down here?" Emma asked.

"Oh...I hoped that I would become a mermaid again. You know, sometimes it gets tiring, being old. I had hoped that if I could become a mermaid one more time, I would have the energy of a youth again," Louise explained.

"Must not be easy, being old," Rikki commented.

"Rikki!" Emma scolded.

"You're right, Rikki, it's not. Oh, to be young again, it would be such an amazing thing. I miss the times where I thought that I was invincible. But...I guess it was not meant to be," Louise replied.

She got to her feet with Emma's assistance and the others joined them. Louise sighed as she looked at the pool.

"That's the only way out of here and I am much too old to swim. Perhaps...you would be so kind as to let me ride a tail?" Louise asked, clasping her hands in front of her.

Emma nodded.

"We'd be happy to help."

The three girls got in to the pool and were transformed in to mermaids. Louise gasped. How beautiful the tails were. It had been so long. Emma turned around to offer Mrs. Chatham her tail.

"Climb aboard."

Louise stepped back in to the moon pool when suddenly, a remarkable thing happened. Her body turned to water very briefly, before her body reappeared. The girls looked at Mrs. Chatham with great shock and confusion.

Louise looked at them with the same confusion.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

She covered her mouth with her hand, then looked at her hands. They were no longer wrinkled with age. Her voice sounded younger too. Had it...had it worked?

She looked down and tears began to swell again. There it was, like she had hoped for. Her mermaid tail was back!

"Mrs. Chatham? Is that you?" Cleo asked, still confused.

"Yes...its me. What's wrong?" Louise asked.

"You look...different," Rikki commented.

Louise looked down at the water to look at her reflection. She indeed did look different. Gone was the gray hair, the wrinkled skin and the old body that she had just minutes ago. She was young again. Young, and beautiful. It was a wish come true.

"Mrs. Chatham, are you okay?" Emma asked.

Louise reared up and gave the three girls a smile.

"I'm quite alright, dear."

"What just happened?" Rikki asked.

Louise smiled at the girls.

"Magic happened. Oh, how it feels to be young again!" Louise cried with happiness.

The girls all smiled when they saw how happy Louise now was. Louise basked in the moment before looking at the girls.

"I can start a new life. I can go places that I've always wanted to go before. There's nothing I want more than that," Louise voiced.

"Well, we're happy for you Mrs. Chatham," Cleo smiled.

"Please, call me Louise now."

"Alright, Louise. So where do you want to go?" Rikki asked.

She smiled.

"I want to go to Fiji. But first... I have a favour to ask," Louise said.

"Anything."

She grinned.

"I want to race with all three of you," she giggled.

The girls all looked at the newly young Louise Chatham, then gave her big smiles.

"I thinks we can do that," Emma replied.

"Just so you all know, I will beat you," Rikki commented.

"Is that a challenge?" Louise asked with a grin.

"I could swim circles around you, old lady," Rikki joked.

"Old lady? Hah! We'll see who the old lady is once I beat you," Louise challenged.

"Alright, you're on. First one to the reefs and back is the old lady," Rikki bantered.

"You're on," Louise grinned.

With that, she dived underwater and sped off. The girls dove and chased after her. As Louise swam with all her might, she couldn't stop smiling. It felt great being back in the water, with her tail. She knew that with that, she had her powers back, plus Gracie's and Julie's. It would be a constant reminder for Louise. She would remember her dear friends every time she used one of their powers.

She propelled through the water with such speed and as she raced the girls, she lamented once more with a new happiness.

 _Oh, to be young again._

* * *

 **What did you think? I kinda reared up just writing it.**

 **Leave a review below on your thoughts!**


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